betty_s

i had to do 12 months with a health 'coach' required by insurance, so 16 months after my first appointment, i was finally banded. it was worth the wait tho, 3 weeks post op and feeling great you got it!

ahhhhhh! you're so awesome!!! i love this post! congrats girl, you deserve all of this. you worked your butt off (literally!) to get where you are from a year ago!!!

did they have to give you an unfill and move your port? i'm 3 weeks post-op receiving the lap-band, hoping for not too much excess skin, but i'm curious about how the TT goes. congrats on your success!

I was just banded 3 weeks ago! I cant give you much, but I know i appreciated all i could take in before banding!

still 273. 2 lbs more than what i was hoping for!

i lifted some and did a few cardio sessions, but i never really felt bad on the pre-op diet..

alright.. well now i'm following both of you.. thesweatybetty

Hey! I had suffered from severe GERD before surgery. I would wake up in the middle of the night on many occasions, choking on stomach acid. I ALWAYS had heartburn, I didnt really know what it was like to not have heartburn, actually. My mom and dad both suffer from severe reflux so I assumed it was just something i was going to have to live with. I had the band, and my surgeon repaired a hiatal hernia during surgery, but I have no had any symptoms of heartburn since i had my surgery May 8th. I'm not sure if its because I'm eating healthier food, but all i know is, I'm enjoying not carrying around tums with me everywhere I go.

Congratsssss!!!! AHHH what an amazing feeling!!!!

Good luck with your next fill! I get my first one June 11th! SO nervous!

Getting into a fight with my SO (or prev break-ups) is the only thing that STOPS my appetite.. everything else makes me want to eat more. its so weird how our minds decide when they want to eat.

Had my 3 week follow-up today! Nurse practitioner was really happy with my results so far. Got moved to solid foods, still no restriction on calories, just making sure I'm getting my Protein in. Still at 30 lbs lost. And I'm allowed to lift weights! I've been doing cardio since last monday, but i really hate it. I'm happy i can start building some tone back that i lost while recovering! She said, the average band patient loses 1/2 lb a week.. but that seems really low to me, especially starting out. I'm working for 2-3 lbs a week, but I'm not going to beat myself up if i don't make it every week. Right now I'm 273, and instead of focusing on losing 98 more lbs, i'm going to focus on getting to 260's. After that, i'll focus on 250's and so on.

Had my 3 week follow-up today! Nurse practitioner was really happy with my results so far. Got moved to solid foods, still no restriction on calories, just making sure I'm getting my Protein in. Still at 30 lbs lost. And I'm allowed to lift weights! I've been doing cardio since last monday, but i really hate it. I'm happy i can start building some tone back that i lost while recovering! She said, the average band patient loses 1/2 lb a week.. but that seems really low to me, especially starting out. I'm working for 2-3 lbs a week, but I'm not going to beat myself up if i don't make it every week. Right now I'm 273, and instead of focusing on losing 98 more lbs, i'm going to focus on getting to 260's. After that, i'll focus on 250's and so on.

i read a comment the other day about someone who had initially chose the band, someone said "why get the band when you'll have to get a revision to sleeve or bypass eventually". that made me SO MAD. some people do really well with the band and you are living proof. i had a band to sleeve revision in one of my seminars and she kept making comments about how awful the band was and then would look at me and say "no offense".. like really?! it is very frustrating. i think sleeve and bypass patients look down at us, and thats not how it should be.

ahhh yes. please be patient. it will come. i had to do 12 months of insurance mandated health 'coaching', then, it took them 6 weeks to approve me. I had my consult jan 6 2013 and didnt get banded until may 8th 2014. it may take some time, but it will def be worth it!

congrats!! you'll do great! i'm 3 weeks post-op and so happy with my decision!

Hey there! I'm almost 3 weeks post-op. My surgeon had me on full liquids for 7 days, which consisted of 2 Protein shakes and 1 creamy soup, mixed with Protein powder. I chose cream of chicken, but that upset my stomach, so i tried campbells golden mushroom. There were a few small mushrooms that i chewed as long as i could, but they never felt like that got stuck. I was advised to take 30-45 mins to drink my shakes and soup (all 8 oz). I never felt uncomfortably full during this stage, but never felt hunger. As i've moved to softer foods now, like scramble eggs and chicken salad. I find that if i eat too quick (forgetting i actually have a lap-band) i feel really tight in my esophogus. I then take a few minutes, let the tight sensation go away, and continue eating small bites very slow. It sounds like you are still just swollen from surgery. I had the urge to burp the first week and couldnt get anything out either. I'd be careful with the chunks, but continue to eat the soup. Congrats on being banded!

I cant say it enough. I'm SO HAPPY with the decision I've made regarding the lap-band!! At this point, I'm 2 1/2 weeks post-op, and have lost a total of 30 lbs, including the pre-op diet, 11 lbs since surgery. My energy is up, my attitude is great, and I'm following my doctors orders so I don't mess anything up. Today was my first day back to work since May 8th, because I took a week for surgery which happened to be the week before my already planned 'staycation'. I'm actually really glad i had 2 weeks off, because I was really sore until about day 10. My clothes that I wore 2 weeks ago are already loose! I think whats helped me so far, is just keeping a positive attitude. I never once complained about the pre-op diet or the post-op liquid diet. I got moved to mushies after 7 days, which seemed pretty quick compared to some others here, but I'm enjoying actually chewing my food and seeing what concoctions I can come up with in the kitchen. I've felt very little ACTUAL hunger, its just listening to my body instead of my mind that I need to keep up with. It also helps that I have a super supportive fiance! I love this site and all the helpful tips and support I've received so far! I just wish all other wls would be supportive of our decisions. I've seen a lot of hate for lap-bands recently and snarky comments about why someone would every choose the band over rny or sleeve. I guess I cant change them, and just not worry about it tho. I guess the point of all these random rambles is to say "thanks!" for all those that have given tips, tricks, and encouraging words. And if you're a newbie, listen to your doctor and stay positive! Its seriously helped me so much!

i always gain 5-10 lbs the day before my period. its usually gone by day 4 or 5 when i'm feeling back to normal. its just your body holding on to water and bloating.

mine didnt include a bbq, but i did go to the beach with family. while everyone was eating subs and chips and drinking beer, i was drinking my water and eating some lunch meat with laughing cow and some watermelon. so happy i grabbed a cooler with only things i could eat, i felt so much better, esp without the hangover! what you've said here is one of my biggest fears. i cant imagine what goal weight feels like, but i already think about how maintenance is going to feel like. will i ever be able to enjoy a family bbq without worrying about every little thing i put in my mouth making me gain all 130 lbs back? you seem like you did as good as you can! enjoying the food without overeating!

YAY! So closeee!! Is the pre-op diet going well?

Just know that its only temporary. You'll get to green, but you'll have to work a little harder before you get there and let the band take some of the work off you.